Pray
by keroberros
Summary: For as long as anyone can remember, Karakura village has practiced a secret ritual to keep all evil away. It requires the ultimate sacrifice that a twin can make and Karin and Yuzu are the next participants. Determined to save his sisters from their fate, Ichigo travels to Hueco Mundo to find something to stop the ritual once and for all. The Hougyoku. Grimm/Ichi, Aiz/Gin, AU, Yaoi
1. Prologue

**A/N:** This is going to be more than a little AU and use a major plot point from the game Project Zero II: Crimson Butterfly (Fatal Frame II) but not enough for it to be an actual crossover. I have tried to adapt these two to fit together so apologies if it doesn't. There are warnings attached so if you cannot stomach descriptions, at some points graphic, of these then please press the back button in your browser. Thank you.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or Project Zero, rights belong to the respective parties. I do not make any money from this and this is a work of fan fiction.

 **Warnings:** Violence, Murder, AU, Yaoi

 **Pray**

 _Sayonara aishita anata  
_ _Sayonara aisareta watashi  
_ _Farwell, you who loved me  
_ _Farewell, I who was loved_

 _Re:pray – Aimer_

 **Prologue: The Ritual**

It is believed aroud the world that when twins are born, the one to be born first is the elder. However, that is not the case. The first born is the youngest for it is seen as weaker and therefore the elder lets it's sibling be born first. In essence, it is the second born child that is the eldest twin. At least, that is what we have believed for years in Karakura. Although, personally I don't believe that the younger is necessarily weaker, but rather it is the eldest that is weaker, for it is the eldest that is the coward, the eldest that does the unforgivable to save their own neck. Twins are two halves of the same whole, at least that's what I have always thought and felt. Maybe that's why no one lasts for long after the ritual, because they're merely living half an existence. It's hypocrytical of me to criticise when I know that if the time comes, I will do the same thing; commit the ultimate betrayal to the one who is dearest to me; commit the ultimate sin - **Hitsugaya Toushirou, Diary October 13th**

The room was littered with white candles, softly glowing to illuminate the two figures in the room. Two boys, no older than thirteen, stood facing each other in the middle of the room above an intricate circular design. The boys in question wore matching outfits of traditional hakama and kosode of the purest white. They were joined with a single length of crimson rope that was tied around each of their waists. Their attention was drawn away by the clang that echoed in the vast underground room from the wooden staff that had been brought down swiftly, yet abruptly upon the stone floor.

"Lets us begin the ritual to seal the Gate," an elderly man stated with authority, placing both his hands upon his staff.

At the man's words the two boys turned back to each other. They were identical in every way from their spiky, black hair to the small scar on the inside of their right wrist. They were truly two halves. The only difference between them were the tears slowly falling from the teal green eyes of one as he looked at his younger brother. He did not want to do what he knew that he had to, yet it was too late to try and prevent the inevitable. Still the tears fell.

"Nii-san, nakenaide."

"Demo..."

"Daijoubu, I accepted it long ago. We need to keep the village safe."

The younger moved to kneel, forcing his brother to mirror him. They remained so, the pristine white of their hakama being stained by the rustic earth, the candles surrounding them flickering in the non-existent breeze.

The elder glanced toward the reason that they were there. A gate, seemingly moulded out of their surroundings, with intricately designed carvings stood at the northern end of the room. No-one had ever been close enough to the gate since its creation to see what the doorway actually consisted of, but from the centre of the room, it appeared to be nothing more than an elaborately decorated shoji.

The young boy knew that his brother was right, that they had to keep the village protected, yet he wished that there was some other way for them to do it. He moved his gaze back to his younger brother, away from the deathly beauty before him, readying himself as best he could for the task that was to come; the task that he must perform to save them all.

The flames suddenly roared, changing dramatically from amber to a deep, piercing blue. He looked at his younger brother, the latter with a soft smile upon his face, neither regretting nor blaming. If the teen did not know any better then he would have thought that his mirror was at peace with not only himself, but all that was to come. His brother had always been the more rational out of the two of them. He didn't know if he could do it and he certainly did not want to.

The thirteen men along the southern edge of the circular room began to chant and each drew their katana from its sheath at their waist, holding them aloft in front of them. The time was drawing near for the completion of the ritual. The tears continued to fall. The elder of the two raised his hands and lay them to rest upon his other selfs shoulders. His arms shook as his hands lay there, waiting for the moment that seemed to take an age.

The chanting abruptly stopped and all thirteen men pointed their katana at the two boys in the centre of the room. The time had come. The flames of the candles continued to flare with azure light. He lifted his hands from where they lay against his brother and brought them to rest softly, hesitantly against the sides of his neck, fingers entwined in the hairs at the nape of his twins neck. The tears continued to fall.

He stood there looking in to his brother's face as his hands trembled. He would do what he had to do but he would not take pleasure in the task. He tightened his grip and readied his resolve. His brother smiled at him. He did not know it at that moment, but he would be haunted forever by that smile. He would be forever haunted by the words that he would hear.

He began to squeeze, turn his hands in to a vice, a weapon. He began to cut his brother off from what he needed to survive, to live. His brother's eyes started to become blood-shot around the edges. His fingers hurt; his hands hurt. His heart hurt. He wanted to give up but he couldn't, not now that he had started. The tears continued to fall faster, almost in a constant stream down his face. It was nearly over, he could feel it, feel his brother starting to slip away him. He poured the last of his strength in to his task, his eyes never leaving his brother. He would do his brother the courtesy of watching until the end, it was the least that he could do.

His brother's lips started to become pale and tinge with blue. As his brother's eyes slipped closed, he whispered hoarsley, "Arigatou, Onii-chan".

He wept as the ritual ended, his brother's lifeless form crumpling upon the earth.


	2. Chapter 01

**A/N:** Thank you so much for all the reads, reviews, favourites and follows. I hope you enjoy the next chapter of _Pray_

 _Mamoritai mono ga fueru hodo tsuyoku naru oshiete kureta ne  
_ _You taught me that I grow stronger as the things that I want to protect increase  
_ _Hikari - SID_

 **Chapter One: The Last Twins**

It had always been boys before that had been chosen, that is why we did what we had to, Urahara and I. I had never thought that the day would come when we would become desperate enough to use girls. I thought that they would be safe, that they would never be chosen. I was wrong. We all were - **Kurosaki Isshin, Diary September 16th**

"You cannot be serious, Yamamoto!"

"It is what must be done for the good of the entire village. No-one is above the needs of the all, something that it seems you need to be reminded of."

"There's no way it will work you old fool. There has to be another way."

"The law is the law. Being one of the Thirteen Priests you should know this better than anyone. I will not hear another word on the matter. It has been decided and that is final!" Yamamoto turned abruptly and left the house, forcefully closing the door behind him.

The sudden, loud clack of wood on wood rose Kurosaki Ichigo from his slumber. The orange-haired teen stretched languidly. He glanced out of the window to his right. It was barely light out, the sun just beginning to rise above the horizon, sky tinted with mauve, peach and rose. He yawned, gently rubbing at the corner of his eyes to clear them. He was more than a little annoyed to have his sleep cut short, especially as the sun had not yet risen. He would be sure to have words with his father about moving his room to the rear of the house.

He prepared himself for the day, dressing in his training garb of white kosode and blue hakama. He could not wait until he could trade it in for the entirely black uniform reserved for the members of the Gotei, the governing body of the village. Alas, he was not going to be eligible until he turned twenty years of age, a couple of seasons away. Until then, he would continue to don his training clothes so that he could be placed in a suitable squad. He was almost certain that he would be placed in the Tenth Squad, know as an all-round support squad. Since the founding of the Gotei, the squad had always been headed by a member of the Kurosaki Clan. His father, Isshin was currently the head of the squad, despite not being a Kurosaki by blood. That privilege had belonged to his mother, the last of the line until he and his sisters had been born. He would one day assume his role as the Head of the family, but until then, he would do what was expected and asked of him. Well, to a degree, he was a Kurosaki after all and they were notorious for getting themselves in to trouble. Ichigo had done so himself on several occasions.

Having finished his preparations he left his room and made his way towards the entrance hall of his house. His father was standing there, a mixture of pain and anger painting his features. "Oyaji, you really need to learn to keep it down in the morning or..." he trailed off, noticing his father's demeanour.

Isshin turned to face his son, his back straight. He slung his white haori, emblazoned with the symbol of his squad on the back, over his left shoulder. He fastened it in place and attached his zanpakutou, Engetsu to rest at his hip. It was rare that Isshin was serious around his children, especially since their mother had died. Ichigo knew something was wrong.

"I'm going to be out all day today, Ichigo. I need you to look after your sisters. Do not let them leave the house. Is that clear?"

"Dad, what's going on?" Ichigo asked, already fearing the worst.

"I haven't got time to explain. Just keep your sisters inside and don't let anyone except myself and Kisuke in," Isshin replied tersely. He really needed his son to obey him just this once. He needed to put a stop to Yamamoto's plan before it was too late.

"Okay, but what about my training today? I can't just skip it -"

"Ichigo, do what I say. This is not a request!"

"Un," nodded Ichigo. He had never seen his father like this before. He would do what the man asked. It was clearly important, especially if only Urahara was allowed to gain entrance to the house.

Isshin nodded to himself, sure that Ichigo understood what was required of him and left. He walked with purpose to the Research and Development quarters. He needed to speak with the Priest of the Twelfth Squad, Urahara Kisuke to determine what he could do to stop Yamamoto. There had to be a way for him to overrule the Head Priest, he reasoned repeatedly with himself. His hand drifted to the hilt of his sword. He had not used her in a year and he had been determined that he would not use her for another nine. He was wrong.

Ichigo stared after his father once he had left before proceeding to bar the door behind him. His father was clearly worried about something. He was the protector of his sisters when his father was not around and he was determined not to let him down.

His sisters would not rise yet for a little while, so he headed to the small training room at the rear of the house. It was close to his sisters' room and he was sure to hear them leave. He walked silently, his reconnaissance training with Shihoin Yoruichi, helping him to avoid waking his sisters prematurely.

When he arrived at the training room, he made immediately for the stand that held his training sword. It was a standard training katana, blunted along the length of the blade. He would be presented with an official sword soon, one that he would name himself. He knelt upon the wooden floor, balancing the sword across his knees carefully. It had taken him weeks of practice to be able to get the sword to balance properly and now it was second nature to him. He closed his eyes, breathing ever slower until he fell in to a meditative state. His father had told him to do this every day before any form of practice with the sword. It had been difficult at first, especially when he was younger, but now he felt that it was of great benefit. He was glad that he had stuck it out. The meditation would be required of him to complete his training. He would be sequestered in the Temple until he managed to commune with his blade, until he could name it. His father had told him that the blade would be an extension of his soul, that the blade would guide him to it's true name. He had thought that his father was being the same stupid Goat Face as usual when he had told the eight year old Ichigo that, but now, eleven years later, he felt that he finally understood.

He fell deeper. Ichigo could feel a breeze on his skin, and looking up he saw a blue sky dotted with fluffy, white clouds gliding overhead. He could never look below himself for some reason, but he referred to this place as his inner world. It was calming and peaceful for him. As the clouds floated by, Ichigo thought about what could have gotten his father so worked up. Clearly, something major had happened that was probably going to affect the entire village. His father had probably gone to the Temple to see Yamamoto, a Priests meeting having been called. He sighed. If there was a threat to the village, no doubt one or more of the squads would be deployed to take care of things. He had not seen his godmother in a while, no doubt she was off gathering information, he reasoned.

The fact of the matter was that the lack of information was a problem. He wasn't stupid, far from it, but he wasn't psychic either and it irked him slightly that his father still did not feel it prudent to share information with him, especially when it likely pertained to the safety of the village. He wasn't a child any more. He had grown in to a great fighter, trained by the finest Priests in all aspects since he was eight. He was a Kurosaki after all, a lot was expected of him. He had even sat through the boring History lessons that first Ginrei, and then Byakuya had taught. He was the descendent of one of the four Founding Clans, something that he couldn't care less about, but the rest of the villagers did. The Founding Clans were revered amongst the rest of the village. Ichigo was descended from two, his father being a Shiba by birth. It was just Isshin's luck to marry higher and lose his family name. Although, Ichigo suspected that the true reason was that his mother had been the last of the Kurosaki line. He had cousins that could carry on the Shiba line after all.

He heard a persistent buzzing sound. Looking around he could not see anything that could be creating the noise. Puzzled, he scratched the back of his head, hoping to stimulate his thought process. The buzzing grew louder the harder Ichigo tried to pin down what exactly could be causing it. The buzzing slowly morphed in to a knocking sound. It was then that Ichigo realised that there must be someone at the door to the house. With a start, he returned to his body and unfurled himself from the floor. Katana in hand, he hastily made his way to the door, praying that his sisters had not woken due to the knocking. He slid to a halt in front of it and breathed a sigh of relief. His sisters had not beaten him to the door. He glanced surreptitiously through a small crack in the wood, hoping to catch a glimpse of the visitor. He wasn't foolish enough to open the door without confirming who was beyond it first, especially after the way his father had acted. He caught sight of a familiar shade of blond, topped with stripes of white and green. He breathed a sigh of relief. It was Urahara Kisuke.

Ichigo unbarred and slid open the door to greet the Priest of the Twelfth Squad.

"I'm afraid if you want to kill me Ichi-chan then you'll need to actually draw your sword," Urahara chuckled.

Ichigo looked momentarily puzzled until he realised that he was still carrying his katana, sheath and all. He looked sheepish before scowling at the man before him. "Shut up, Getaboushi. What do you want, oyaji isn't here?"

"I know," Urahara replied, a serious expression replacing his usual placid grin. "I need to speak with you about something. Now let me in."

Ichigo moved aside to allow Urahara in. He wore his trade mark hat along with his sage green haori, a number twelve showing prominently on his back.

"Shitsureshimasu," Urahara mumbled politely as he followed Ichigo in to the main reception room. He settled himself on the floor before speaking once again, "You should put your sword back before we talk, Ichigo."

"I'll be right back then," the teen replied, quickly moving back to the training room to deposit his weapon.

Urahara sighed, dreading what he would have to discuss with the boy. He knew that it would not end well.

"What do you need to talk to me about, Urahara-san?" Ichigo asked as he re-entered the room and settled himself across from the blond.

"There was an emergency Priests meeting late last night," Urahara began. "The matters discussed directly involve you, Ichigo."

"Why would I be brought up? I haven't done anything wrong lately, I swear!"

"It wasn't anything like that, not this time. We actually discussed your birthright."

"What do you mean?" Ichigo queried, completely lost. As far as he was aware his birthright was to be the next Head of the Kurosaki Clan and eventually the Priest of the tenth. _Is there something that I'm not aware of that dad never told me?_

"It has been decided that you will complete your training and be placed in a squad immediately. It is thought that you will be under Shinji's command in the fifth. Your zanpakutou is being forged as we speak," Urahara answered.

"But...that can't be right. Why would Yamamoto allow that?"

"It has also been decided," Urahara continued, ignoring Ichigo's question, "That you will enter into Priest training once you have been inducted in to the Gotei. It is hoped that you will be able to take over as the Head of Squad Ten by the time you turn twenty. At this point you will also assume your role as Head of the Kurosaki Clan."

Ichigo stared at him, mouth slightly agape. There was no way that he had heard that right. If what Urahara was telling him was true, then he would be the youngest Priest that the Gotei had ever had. It was unfathomable. No doubt they would place him in the fifth to learn anything he didn't know before succeeding his father.

"I don't understand..."

"Unfortunately, there is more that I need to tell you, Ichigo."

Ichigo's stomach dropped. He knew that it was too good to be true, that there had to be a 'but'. There was no way that there wasn't some sort of catch, it never worked like that. He could never have what he wanted. It suddenly made sense why his father had acted so strangely earlier. "It's why Goat Face has been acting all serious isn't it? There's something big going to happen, right?"

Urahara sighed, knowing that the fiery youth was not going to like what he had to say next one bit.

"There is an issue with the Gate. There has been since the ritual last year."

"What sort of issue?"

Urahara looked at Ichigo seriously. "The seal is breaking and another ritual will need to be performed to repair it."

"Why did the ritual not work though? Toushirou was there right? He completed it didn't he?"

"Yamamoto has been reading through various documents trying to find the reason why. He believes that he has found what he needs to resolve the issue."

"Well that's good then, the village will be safe and no-one will have to worry any more," Ichigo said, slightly confused as to what the issue was. It seemed perfectly logical to him, which meant that Urahara had not yet told him everything. "There's something else isn't there," he stated.

Urahara simply inclined his head. He had thought it odd when attending the meeting the night before that the first order of business was to rush Ichigo through his training, but it all became clear as to why. Much too clear. "It has been discovered that the ritual will need to take place again, twenty-one days from now. Yamamoto believes that he will only need to perform the ritual once more, that he will be able to permanently seal the Gate."

"That's great news though, so why do you look so depressed? What is he planning on doing?" asked Ichigo dreading the answer.

"Yamamoto has come to the conclusion that it will take a very specific set of twins to undergo this ritual. They need to come from a pure line of one of the four Founding Clans..."

Everything clicked in to place for Ichigo in that moment, already knowing what Urahara was going to say before he even formulated the words.

"Yamamoto plans to use Karin and Yuzu. I'm sorry, Ichigo."


End file.
